Done bloggin'

Sorry, peeps....no time to blog. I'm not going to keep this site up any longer :(

Going private

Don't know when yet.....

5 months old +1 day :)

It is so crazy how time is flying by!! Kyle is so animated and getting into the fun stages!! He's still frustrated when it comes to rolling over....he does it half way, kicks and yells, then rolls back over. It's funny to watch. He's starting to "talk". He and Bret have conversations. I have no idea what they say to each other but they understand one another. Kyle is very close to sitting up on his own....still working on the balancing part. Cereal is going good. I figured out that he likes it thick. That's fine by me :) His eczema is also doing REALLY well. All spots are almost all gone. Still some pink areas but they'll disappear by spring/summer. Slowly but surely getting rid of the baby stuff! YAY!! Now I just have to convince Jason to take care of "things" so that there aren't any accidents....hehehe

All in all, things are going pretty well...getting easier by the day!

4 months old!!

Kyle had his WC today and here are his stats:
-Weight: 15 lbs 10.5 oz (60th percentile)
-Height: 26" (90th percentile)
-HC: 16-1/2"

Found out that he has eczema. Poor thing. We've been battling dry skin for a few months and I thought that it was just really bad winter skin. I figured I should bring it up since lotion wasn't really helping. Well, that's why. So I have to put a thick cream on him 4-6X a day until his skin gets better. I just *heart* his pediatrician. She is so great at explaining things. She told me that eczema is caused by a slight compromise in his immune system. In babies, it can come out in 3 different ways: -through the skin (eczema), -through the lungs (asthma), or -through the sinuses (seasonal allergies). She said that it's not uncommon and I shouldn't worry but to let her know if the cream isn't working. Unfortunately she also said that he'll probably grow out of the eczema and develop seasonal allergies......Sorry baby, you hit the genetic trash can because of me. (I have it too.)

He got two shots today :( He's doing great though!!

Seven deadly sins - Envy

I envy how people can leave their kids for extended periods of time (like days). I just can't do it. Abandonment issues, I know.....and it's true. I would love to go on romantic weekends with Jason or to visit long-distant friends without kids in tow. I think it's because I feel kind of alone. I have absolutely no one in my family that would take time off of work to stay with my kids for the weekend and the people that I do trust in Jason's family work too.

I definitely would leave Jason with the kids but then I feel guilty because he works all week.

So I envy you, you romantic-weekend-takers!

Vicious cycle

Breastfeeding, that is....I've lost all of my pregnancy weight, now I want to lose another 10 - 15 lbs that I gained back after I stopped breastfeeding Bret. Forever ago, yeah, I know. Well, I quickly found out that if I workout more than 3X/week my milk supply takes a nose dive. So I drink more water and increase my calorie intake to compensate. Increased calories + working out 2X/week = 0

I hate breastfeeding......I only do it for the kids :)

Preschool

I'm taking Bret to his future preschool tomorrow for a preview and registration. I am still on the fence about it because of his birthday.....it's one of those right before the Dec 1 deadline. So he can either start kindergarten when he's 4, going on 5 or wait until he's 5, going on 6. Tough choice because he'll either be one of the youngest or one of the oldest in his class.

I think he'd like it....different people, different things to play with/do and it's only for two hours, 2X/week. He's still a bit shy around new people, so that concerns me a bit. I'd hate to leave him crying - that will just break my heart.

I just don't know how I feel about him being in preschool for 3 years. I want him to start kindergarten when he's 5 going on 6 and Jason doesn't agree. We'll see how it goes :)

An expensive party

I'm looking into which avenue Jason and I want to take to fund our kids' college education; either 529 plan or MET (MI Educational Trust). Either way, we're getting the dollar bills sucked out of us for the next 15 years.....

....anyone have an extra $51,200 lying around that they'd like to give us? Oh wait - we have two kids...make that $102,400.

Photo tag...I'm it

I love this pic! It's an outdoor shower at the beach house we rented in Charleston - 2006!!

The only sad part about this picture is that we never used it :( HAHAHAHAHA

Kathy and Dani....you're it!!

3 Months Old!!!

Kyle is the most laid back baby I've ever been around. He *barely* cries - unless he's not fed fast enough - and he's an awesome sleeper. I can't get over it. I told Jason that if I was GUARANTEED more babies like Kyle then we'd have 2 more. He's just so mellow. It is really sad when I look at him and how big he is because there's no semblance of a newborn. He's SO long. All his 3-6 month clothes are too tight. Even his 6 month pajamas are making him curl at the toes. I looked through Bret's stuff and there is not one 9 month set of pajamas. Then I thought to myself...that is because it was summer by the time Bret was in 9 month clothes. So we have to get a few 9 month fleece pajamas to get us through the winter. Unreal.
Kyle gets his 3 month pics taken tomorrow. We can't wait!!

Love / hate relationship

Things I love about toddler stage:

- Communication is MUCH easier!

- Get to play games with someone more animated

- Feeds himself

- Hugs and kisses me back

- Copies everything we do

- Shows love, compassion and empathy

- "I do it"

Things I hate (yes, I said hate) about toddler stage:

- How long things take when he does it

- Changing diapers

- Tantrums

- "Mine"

- "No"

- Thinks that it's ok for Elmo to be on repeat

Bret cracks us up on a daily basis....he turns his golf clubs into leaf blowers and edgers....he pretends to pull-start his tools (like Jason) and it takes about 50 pulls (like Jason)!! HAHAHA - He feeds his Elmo doll "soup" out of a ladle and chases us around the house with his toy saw. Maybe I should be creeped out about the last one! HAHAHAHA....Bret, you're awesome!

Pics of my burtday

I had a blast on my birthday!! Had dinner with my cousin who just turned 21....we took her out for a few drinks; we ate cheesecake at home - OMGosh.....stop with the desserts!!! It was good and Jason made it for me :) Then I put Kyle to bed and we went out for a few hours. I had so much fun that I could've stayed out all night. Karaoke (stone sober and proud of it!!), a couple of my favorite beverage then night-night.

Toledo's got a new firefighter :)

This is my devilishly handsome BIL.....He gets his good looks from Jason, I know :) HEHEHE
Well, today we celebrated his official induction into the Toledo Fire Departement! After years of hard work, persistence and PATIENCE, Justin is one of Toledo's finest. Jason and I are SOOOO proud of him and to be able to share in his achievement. Great job, Justin....we love you!!

2010 - The beginning of the end

The title sounds kind of creepy but it's really not...I'm talking about my consumption of meat. Starting this year, I'm going to cut out a type of meat until I'm vegetarian. 2010 - red meat, 2011 - pork, 2012 - chicken, 2013 - turkey....Boy am I going to miss my steaks :( I need to force myself to make more fish and vegetarian dishes. I'm not very good at it.
Have to do it. Not getting any younger or healthier. The way things are going in government, we'll be paying for our own health care pretty soon. So I'm taking better care of myself!! Here are some pics over Christmas and NYE :)

2 months old

I can't believe that 2 months have passed by!! It's almost in the blink of an eye. Kyle had his 2-month wellness check up yesterday. Stats: weight - 13lbs 4oz, length - 24.5", HC - 15.25". Compared to Bret at this age, Kyle is about 1/2lb lighter and a whole inch longer!

We're getting super excited for Christmas....On Saturday, my family got together and celebrated Christmas. Bret had an awesome time opening gifts. I. CAN. NOT. WAIT. UNTIL. CHRISTMAS. MORNING. He and Kyle will be fun to record :)

The pic shows Kyle (left), Kayden (his cousin and 1 day older - middle) and Koltyn (born at the end of August- right). Yeah, I'm the mom that doesn't dress an infant really super holiday cute and to the nines.....my philosophy is that they'll drain us of money when they're teenagers so why start now?! HAHAHA.....Christmas cards are going super slow. Not really wanting to send any out this year but I already bought them. We'll do the family picture card next year. For some reason, this year crept up too fast for us to do the picture.

I'm such a slacker

My poor baby's 1 month birthday passed and I didn't even post anything :(

Kyle is a good baby...I know I've said this before, but I just can't believe how babies can be so different coming from the same parents!! It's tough not to compare Bret and Kyle but I do it a lot.....Bret was a not-so-good-sleeper....He still isn't; Kyle, on the other hand, sleeps so well. I'm sleeping about 5 hours at at time right now and it's pure heaven. Bret was a terrible spitter-upper. Kyle barely ever spits up. Both of my kids were/are gassy. I have to pump legs a lot and the farts are adult-sized!

Let's see, what else??? I've lost all of my pregnancy weight, plus 4 lbs. I have 10 lbs to go to be at my goal weight. Actually, I'm happy at my current weight but I have to lose an additional 10 lbs to get back into my pants. Thanks to all of the flabby, stretch-marked skin on my belly. I am really looking forward to my tummy tuck one day.

Starting with the winter session, I'm going to start taking classes at the Y with Bret. I'm going to enroll him in swim lessons - without me. We'll see how he does; I'm kind of nervous. I am going to take a boot camp class. Really excited about that. My neighbor is in it right now and she said that the instructor shows no mercy.....that is exactly what I need.

This week we're going to the Lights Before Christmas at the Toledo Zoo.....They do such a great job decorating the zoo with Christmas lights. I love it!!

Update

It's been awesome-crazy around here....I absolutely LOVE having two boys; especially since Bret is such a great big brother and Kyle is such a great baby. I've been VERY, VERY blessed :)

Not too much going on....thinking about going private. Don't know yet.

We're celebrating Jason's parents' 60th birthdays on Friday. Saturday and Sunday are free days, so far. Next week Jason is taking his last unpaid vacation week (thank God). That means he automatically gets an 8% pay increase next year!! YIPPPEEE

Bret gets his MMR shot on Tuesday :( I just hate when kids get shots. Almost as much as I hate circumcisions. How wimpy am I, right?!

We had a family photo session last week. I love the work that Tara does...she's pretty much one of the sweetest persons I have ever met. A couple of sneak peeks for you.

He's heeeerrrrreeeee

Kyle Robert Stark

8 LBS, 0 ounces

20.5"

October 14, 2009

4:43AM

Not too much different from my delivery with Bret...other than it was a lot shorter and my epidural fell out when I was dilated at 8cm and I pretty much pushed Kyle out without one. That wasn't fun, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be either.

He's awesome....sleeps A LOT. I don't remember Bret sleeping this much. I have to wake Kyle up to change and feed him. It's almost sad!! I try not to go too long but then I want him to cry when he's hungry/uncomfortable.

His first DR appointment is Monday so I'll update then :) All is well in the Stark household!!! We love you, Kyle :)

Prenatal appointment #12

Weight gain: 2 LBS
BP: can't remember

Pretty uneventful....the DR was "gentle" when stripping my membranes. He asked if I wanted to wait until Monday because that's when he's on call. Um, no thanks - especially when you tell me that I'm dilated to almost 5 cm and my water bag is bulging......Let's get this over with :) The same DR that delivered Bret is on call tonight so I'm pretty comfortable going in.

I'm contracting pretty good - I'll take a walk later to speed things up! More later.....

Prenatal appointment #11

Well, this may be my last post until the baby is born.....

BP: 134/50
Weight gain: 0 LBS; so far: 23 LBS

Everything went well at the DR appt yesterday. I had a high blood sugar reading that AM and didn't feel normal all day. DR wasn't too happy about it because he said that this late in the pregnancy, the baby's blood sugar may drop; complications with delivery....blah, blah. I already knew that since I've been through this w/ Bret. However, it was still kind of scary to hear again.

Therefore, he scheduled me for a NST on Tuesday and I'm getting my membranes stripped right afterwards. I'm semi-comfortable with the decision since I'll be 39 weeks along. The baby's been kind of slow for the past 3 days and I've been waking up with minor headaches. The DR doesn't know what that's from since my BP is good and I'm not passing sugar or proteins in my urine. Preeclampsia was ruled out. I'm ready. I just want to jump head-first into the craziness of a newborn again - +1 :) - and start living life on a giant rollercoaster!! LOL

So this weekend I'm going to spend extra fun time with Bret...we're going to Chuck E Cheese today (I hope), a pumpkin patch tomorrow (if it doesn't rain), chill on Sunday; then Monkey Jump (an indoor inflatable playground) on Monday :)